Of Witchcraft and Chivalry!
by Dorganyorgan
Summary: Falling Pedals AU, femslash, yuri. Ruby Rose is a knight, apprentice actually, starting on her grand adventure to Beacon to meet with her sister already in training and become a knight with her. However due to a minor detour, and misreading of maps, she finds herself in the company of a witch. One who joins on her quest to Beacon that loves to tease the young knight.
1. The Journey's Beginning

Of Witchcraft and Chivalry!

Chapter 1

The Journey's Beginning

On a bright and sunny day in the world of Remnant a young woman walked along a path of large oak trees with thick branches hanging overhead. The sun shone high overhead though only sporadically managing its way through the many branches and onto the path. Our young woman was a knight, well an apprentice actually, but either way she was a soon to be knight, or so she hoped. Her name, Ruby Rose, and she wore an outfit of mostly black and red with black leather bracers on her forearms, red grieves over her shins, and a crimson cape on her back. It was standard traveling gear for a knight since after all, wearing metal armor was actually rather heavy, and the dark redhead herself was rather short at only five-foot two inches tall. She was also well equipped to defend herself with a large curved sword on her left hip, and a small crossbow on her right. A quiver of arrows was strapped to her backside, and to top it all off, she had a small travelers bag on her back. It carried the few essentials she needed, like flint, a blanket, and a few rations of food, along with what appeared to be a folded staff loosely attached to the outside of the bag with a sturdy twine. It seemed that she was ready for just about anything she encountered on the road. Well mostly anything...

"Um...wait, was I supposed to turn left at that fork? Or right..." the girl pondered as she poured over her map, scratching her head while trying to figure the right way to go according to the parchment in her hand. "I don't have the map upside down again do I? Okay, if I have read this right there should be a town in about a mile or so away, Patch Village I believe, where I can restock and maybe sleep in a bed for the night!" Ruby smiled as she continued down the path, enjoying the shade.

So the redheaded apprentice continued on down this path, expecting to find the village in about an hour or so, all while wearing a smile upon her face. However, one hour passed and her smile grew smaller. Another passed and her smile grew even more dim. Now, three hours had passed and Ruby's smile was all but gone. And as her smile had grown smaller throughout the day, so had the light the sun had provided, darkening the area around her. The oak trees that once provided shade and a cool break from the sun, now darkened the area and seemed to hang menacingly overhead.

"I thought the map said there would be a village soon..." Ruby looked down to the parchment guiding her way once more, tilting her head. "Maybe it's an old map?" she looked back up along the path, squinting and trying to see through the trees as sunlight slowly slipped away. However not a moment or two later Ruby's prayer's were answered as she caught sight of lights ahead through the trees, as if shining beacons in the darkness calling her towards them. "YES! I knew there was a town!" Without a moment's hesitation, the redheaded knight charged down the path, moving almost inhumanly fast with an excited look in her eyes.

"Finally civilization!" the exasperated knight let out, and then stood triumphantly at the entrance of the town, happy to have made it as the sun began to set. "Now for a hot meal, a warm bath and...a soft...bed?" Ruby stammered as she began to notice however that the town was rather quiet as she entered. In fact, the entrance was the only place lit with torches, while the other buildings she walked by were dark, not even candles lit in the windows. Ruby could see the village had one large dirt road running down the center of it all, with various shops including a bakery, tavern, and other buildings lining it. She could see two other paths, one going left from the way she was facing, and another right, forming a sort of crossroads, only these paths just lead to more houses.

"Hello?" The young redhead approached a bakery, seeing no candles lit and no one inside the building. Ruby proceeded to load one of her bolts into the crossbow at her hip preparing for any sort of trouble. She even looked to the tavern, finding no one was there either with yet again no lighting. Ruby had even thought to grab one of the torches at the town entrance, but noticed one building was actually lit up by torches outside and candles in the windows adjacent to the door. It was a large church in the center of the town, with large wooden doors in the front, currently closed, but from a distance it at least seemed occupied.

"Maybe there's a meeting or church service" the redhead assured herself as she walked towards the large building. She approached from the side, popping her head up to look through a glass window. Ruby looked in to see the church had a high ceiling, and candles lining the walls hung at various spots. She could see an alter at the front with a large wooden cross on the wall behind it. Her attention however was drawn to what looked to be the residents of the town seated in rows of wooden benches facing a large man at the front of the room who looked like an elderly noble. Ruby sighed out in relief and reached down to undo the bolt in her crossbow. "At least I found them. I wonder what's going on" she wondered as she walked around to the front of the building, cracking open the large wooden door and listening to the purpose of the town's gathering in the church as she poked her head inside.

"Something must be done about that witch! We don't want her kind here Lord Port!" Ruby's attention was immediately drawn to a man in the front who looked like a villager sitting with his wife and children.

"What if she unleashes a curse onto us?! Or uses her fire to burn the town down?!" another woman cried out from the middle rows. Others inside called out either agreeing with her or adding more terrible scenarios this witch could unleash. The man at the front though, who was indeed rather large, though mostly in his gut with a large grey mustache, stood before the people raising his arms. Ruby noticed he must have been this town's Lord, seeing how he was dressed as a noble wearing a rather fanciful tunic and a burgundy cape.

"Please people calm down, there's no need to panic!" the elder man, Lord Port, called out. "Yes we've had a quarrel or two with her but surely not enough to drive her out and cause this panic!"

"She set my pants on fire!" A large man with broad shoulders called out.

"She made my kids float in the air for a whole day! A whole day!" A woman called out clutching tightly to her two children who nodded with tears in their eyes.

"She turned me into a newt!" The crowd stopped though and turned to a man in the middle with either shock, confusion, or disbelief.

"A...newt?" Lord Port raised an eyebrow. The man with the proclamation looked around at everyone and shrunk back, feeling their questioning stares.

"I got better...but still she needs to be gone!" and with that the crowd began to rally up once more, shouting what should be done about their said witch problem. Some shouted for her to be set ablaze and burned. Another calling to form a mob so as to lynch her. And yet another calling for action, to just rush her with swords and cut her to pieces. All of these just caused Lord Port and even Ruby to look at the crowd in shock at their ways to deal with this problem, and all of them were rather violent outcomes.

"Please people! I'm sure there's a less violent method to deal with this! We must be civil and I'm sure there's a more proper way to deal with this than murdering her!" he pleaded as he tried to calm them down so they could find a more peaceful route to their problem, one that didn't involve an angry mob and death. Watching this however, Ruby decided this would be a most opportune time for her to assist with their spell-caster problem.

"Um pardon me" Ruby spoke, but the crowd was too focused on their Lord in the front and shouting what should be done about their problem. So Ruby gathered up her courage stepping further inside, taking in a deep breath to raise her voice. "EXCUSE ME!" she shouted and as soon as she did, everyone stopped and turned to Ruby with questioning glances or confused glances. "U-Um...hi" the redhead addressed the crowd, waving nervously as she shrank back from their stares.

"And who might you be?" inquired Lord Port, glancing over the smaller young woman as he approached her.

"O-Oh! I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose, I'm a knight and heard you may be having trouble with a witch?" as she mentioned this however, the town suddenly became increasingly focused on her. Excitement and hope shown on their faces hearing that this mysterious girl who appeared before them was a knight, and could possibly help with their problems.

"A knight?! Here?!" one voice exclamed in disbelief.

"In our little town? What luck! Maybe she can rid us of this witch!" another agreed with hopeful glee.

"Yeah! She can burn her and solve all of our problems!" Ruby however froze hearing one of them call out for her to kill the witch, some of the others even agreeing with them.

"Or we can ask Ms. Rose here to speak with the witch and convince her to leave, or at least to leave our people in peace" Lord Port suggested, getting a sigh of relief from the dark redhead. "We would be ever so grateful if you could assist us and would gladly make it worth your efforts" he announced, bowing to the young apprentice before them.

"Oh no please, I don't require any..." Ruby however paused as she thought for a moment. "There is something you can do for me actually" smiling, causing the villagers to wonder what it is she would ask for, waiting with baited breathe, some of them even worried what she'd demand for compensation.

"Yes?" the Lord asked raising an eyebrow.

"A night's stay, with a good meal and a hot bath" Ruby smiled raising her finger, the Lord laughing at her request and the villagers looking relieved at her requested reward.

"I'm sure we can provide you with that! We'll provide you with a hearty meal and a nights stay so you can meet with the witch in the morning! Isn't that right everyone?" the people cheered out in agreement, happy to accommodate the young knight who agreed to help them be rid of the so-called terrible witch. Ruby however just smiled shyly, bowing to them to show her appreciation.

"Thank you, and I'll do everything I can to repay your kindness" the knight promised, just glad she had the chance to help these people before they did something too drastic.

* * *

The next day had arrived, and the young knight, well still apprentice, had set out for the woods this supposedly wicked witch abided. And now she began her trek into the woods, a journey to this troublesome spell-caster's cabin. And so far Ruby was feeling confident about this quest, with encouragement from the whole village, and thanks to her night's stay there that surely did not disappoint, a proper rest, and a full belly thanks to two full meals, being a feast of a dinner and a very hearty breakfast. She felt she could take on whatever was thrown her way!

"But seriously they didn't need to give me this much food; I should only be gone a day's time" she lifted the large bag given to her and sighed out, smelling it was filled with all sorts of meats and vegetables. "Well, better get started" Ruby hummed to herself as she walked, slightly weighed down by the large sack strapped to her back.

"Okay let's see, according to their directions...it shouldn't be more than a morning's walk from the village" Ruby grinned with excitement and walked with confidence radiating from her. She walked back into the forest of large tall trees that shaded most of the sunlight. Lush green grass covered the ground as well as moss, softening the knights' steps. Our young knight truly believing it would take just the morning hours to reach the witch's house. Ruby however forgot one key thing, and that was her sense of direction being absolutely terrible.

"WHERE IS THIS PLACE?! I thought she lived close to the village!" The redhead cried out in agony, then slumped backwards against a large tree sliding down it until she was sitting on the ground. "If only I could have a guide or something to get there..." She tucked in her knees and rested her head against them, sighing out in defeat. In her state of defeat though, came the sound of whimpering in front of herself, whimpering sounding oddly canine in nature.

"Huh?" the redhead looked up and sitting before her was none other than just that. There sitting before her was a large dog Ruby almost thought to be a wolf, though she did notice it was smaller than a wolf and its midnight fur was well groomed. Ruby also noted it's bright amber eyes that seemed to almost look like fire. "Well hello there girl, what's a pretty thing like you doing out here?" she asked with a smile, though it ignored her and approached sniffing and looking right at the bag of food.

"Oh! You must be famished!" she smiled as she reached inside, pulling out some of the uncooked meat. She held it out to the dog, but it turned it's head in refusal. "Um...okay, then how about vegetables?" she asked pulling out a carrot and presenting it to the canine. The dog however just gave a look that might as well have been that of raising an eyebrow, asking if she was kidding. "Right you eat meat, but not uncooked meat" Ruby pondered and smiled.

"Which means I just have to cook it for you!" So the knight pulled out more uncooked meat and several raw vegetables to prepare. She gathered wood and the flint in her traveling bag, humming merrily as she piled the wood and used the flint to light a fire for them. "Your master must spoil you rotten like the pretty girl you are! So I'm gonna spoil you too! Not to mention the village people gave me too much food" Ruby winked as she pulled out a small pot of from her traveling bag and a canteen of water. She poured the water in the pot and used the food she was given, preparing a pot of stew and cooking several pieces of uncooked meat skewered onto sticks she found.

"There! All done!" moments later the food was done and Ruby produced two bowls filled with steaming hot stew, one for herself and the other for her black furred friend, along with several pieces of now cooked meat. "Stew and meat! Trust me you'll like the stew!" the apprentice grinned as she held out the meat for the dog who gladly snatched it and swallowed it whole. Then the beast dove into the bowl of stew licking and gobbling down it's contents. "Oh you were hungry!" Ruby giggled before having her own bowl and eating as well. She had two pieces of meat and noticed a certain dog was eyeing one of the pieces she had. "Oh fine, but just cause you're quite cute" she tossed one of them to her new companion who caught it and ate it right up. After Ruby had eaten her meal and the canine finished it's own, it pounced gleefully onto the young knight, knocking her over and licking at her face.

"Ah! H-Hey cut it out! T-That tickles!" Ruby giggled then grabbed her new black furred friend and pinned the dog onto it's back. "Bleh! You licked in my mouth! Someone needs a belly rubbing!" The redhead then proceeded to rub and scratch at the dogs belly. At first it kicked and squirmed in protest but then settled down, panting happily and kicking it's legs as it felt the lovely calming sensation of Ruby's belly rub. "Who's a good girl, huh? You are!" she giggled as she watched the dog just lounge back and enjoy this. After a minute or two more of showing the dog love and affection, Ruby stood up and dusted herself off much to the disappointment of a certain dog who loved it's belly rubs.

"Well, I'm sorry pup, but I got to be on my way. You see, I must find and talk to this witch in the woods!" Ruby smiled and the dog looked up to her tilting it's head with a curious look. "Yes I know, but the town asked me to come talk to her. They seem a bit mad at her and some even want me to do something quite awful like kill her, but I don't even want to do that. I think there's just some sort of misunderstanding and maybe I can talk with this witch. After all not all witches are bad!" the Redhead told the midnight canine who looked up to her intently as if listening to what she had to say.

"Though I might get lost again; I've been searching the morning over and can't find her hut. You don't happen to know where she is do you?" Ruby asked as she let out a sheepish laugh. The dog however turned and began to walk away from Ruby in a random direction. Then, it turned and sat down barking to Ruby, proceeding to lift a paw as if to beckon her over. "Wait, you know the way? Astounding! You're the best dog ever! Well...second best dog" Ruby chuckled to herself before proceeding to follow the midnight furred friend.

"I'm going to hazard a guess your owner is the witch huh? Probably why you look so pretty; she must really care for you" The young knight began as she looked over, admiring the dog's well kept fur. "Which to me must mean she's not a bad witch, or a bad person. Or she just likes her dog more than other people. Sometimes I understand that. Some people can be a bit, well, let's just say you prefer different company when you see them" The knight understood rubbing her head, especially with remembering how the villagers were.

"Oh! I know I don't know your name, but I'm Ruby. I know you can't talk but I figured it would be nice for you to know the name of the one who fed ya and stuff...so yeah. Anyways, I'm a knight! Apprentice knight actually, but a knight at heart at the very least! I've always wanted to be one and help other people" Ruby began and the dog turned it's head listening to the girl as she spoke.

"It's all a bit funny really, one of the reasons I became a knight is because of a witch, a Goodwitch. You know what's funny about her too? That's her actual name!" the redhead giggled as she followed. "Other than her name, she's a good person and great teacher. She taught me the basics of combat as well as my older sister. Oh, her name is Yang, she's two years older than me. But it was my uncle who taught me how to be proficient with my weapon" Ruby gave a reminiscent smile as she rested her hand on the weapons hilt. "Her and Uncle Qrow always told me to use my weapon to help others, and no matter what if you can save a person you should. After all, anyone is worth saving!"

The dog turned it's head back to the forest and continued to lead the girl, guiding her through the woods as it listened to Ruby tell about herself.

"Oh! I'm sorry, here I went into all of this unimportant stuff, and I forgot to mention why I'm traveling! You see, I'm actually on a journey to Beacon and I've gotten a bit sidetracked. I continue my training as a knight there and merely stopped in the village to rest, but they kinda needed assistance so I offered my services to them!" she grinned. "After I hopefully settle things between the witch and the townspeople, I'll be on my way to Beacon again. It's a well known city where knights can learn and train to improve themselves before going out into the world! My sister is already there, so when I get there we can team up and go out on our own adventures!" Ruby looked to her canine friend once more though and found it had stopped and looked ahead.

"Hey why'd we stop?" Then the knight looked for herself and saw that straight ahead was the little cottage she had been looking for, and it had actually been a rather short walk. "W-WHAT?! B-But I swear I passed by this place so many times! At least I think I did..." Ruby slumped in defeat and looked over to her dog friend with a smile. "Well, thanks for being my guide my furry little friend! I can finally meet your owner and hopefully help her with this whole villager mess" Ruby rubbed the dog's head then walked over towards the hut. The small cottage seemed to be made mostly of stone. In the front there was a wooden door and a small window trimmed in a wood. A chimney rose from it's roof made of stone as well with smoke coming out of the top of it.

"Hello? Is anyone home? My names Ruby, Ruby Rose! I'm a knight that the village hired and I would greatly like permission to speak with you!" the redhead called out, introducing herself as she approached the small abode, though hearing and seeing no movement or life of any kind. "Um...hello? Is she out? Or...asleep? she muttered to herself.

Our dear Ruby however didn't realize that right behind her, her new canine companion's eyes began to glow brighter as if it's amber eyes were on fire. The canine began to stand upright and her form began to change. It's fur began to recede and it's front and rear legs began to change into human arms and legs. The body and face now changed as well, becoming that of a woman's. One who stood almost a foot taller than Ruby, with long midnight hair that covered one of her bright amber eyes. She wore a mostly red outfit with a furred hood and leather bracers on her arms. She smirked as she approached the unsuspecting Ruby from behind, her eyes glowing as she raised her arms.

"I hope I didn't just wake her up..." Before Ruby could say more or explore further, she yelped as she suddenly felt two arms wrap around her shoulders and pull her backwards. When she was pulled back Ruby blushed as she felt a soft warm bosom pressing into her back, and someone rest their head onto her shoulder next to her own.

"My my, who would think my first house guest is a brave and kind knight to visit little old me?" Ruby turned her head to see none other than the gorgeous face of a woman with bright amber eyes and long gorgeous hair. "One who is just adorable too. Come in, please" the witch let go of the stunned little knight walking towards the door, then looked back towards her. She smirked seeing Ruby's face was slightly red with an agape mouth, staring at her. "Are you going to stare at me and admire my form Little Rose? I certainly don't mind if you do" Ruby quickly closed her mouth with a furious blush quickly covering her face.

"S-Sorry! I-I...um...I-I'll come in now" The witch just giggled as she stepped aside letting Ruby into her home. Ruby looked around the hut as she stepped inside and could see it was merely a humble abode. One of course belonging to someone who dabbled in magic. There was a shelf of books and another with various plants, herbs and ingredients as well as some glass bottles, beakers and funnels. All of these things for the sake of witchcraft. Ruby also noted that this place was kept rather clean, but then again there wasn't a lot of furniture. Just a table with two chairs, a fireplace with a tea kettle that was currently lit, and what appeared to be a small kitchen area with only a few cabinets. She also noted a one person bed in one of the corners assuming this is where the witch slept.

"Please have a seat Ruby" the witch raised a hand towards a chair by the table which moved back on it's own. Ruby gladly accepted and sat, though looking slightly nervous with so many questions on her mind and a blush of embarrassment on her face.

"So um...how did you know my name?" the witch giggled at the question, and flicked her wrist to the fireplace making the flame slightly larger.

"Well if you must know it's because you told me. And since you told me yours and provided me with a wonderful meal of stew and meat, I think it only right I should provide you with some tea. My name my sweet knight, is Cinder..." the witch paused in thought before answering. "Fall" Ruby perked hearing the witches name and sat up in her chair.

"Well it's nice to meet you miss...wait...you said I fed you a meal? But that was your...dog..." Realization slowly dawned onto the young Ruby, her face becoming redder by the second as she realized her furry friend wasn't exactly her furry friend, and the two had a moment where with a dog it's innocent, but with a human... "A-And you...licked me...I-I pet you...a-and scratched your belly..."

"And I must say you tasted even better than your meal Little Rose" If Ruby's face could have been any redder than it already was, someone would have mistaken her for a ripe tomato. "And Ruby..." the knight looked up as Cinder leaned in close to her ear. "I'm actually am a bad girl but I'll be a good one...just...for...you" the witch leaned back and smirked seeing the redness of Ruby's face and loved how the girl couldn't comprehend what was just revealed to her.

"U-Uh...I-I...w-what...you um..." The witch laughed, figuring that may have been too much for the poor innocent knight.

"My apologies dearest Ruby, but I just couldn't miss that opportunity to tease you, but yes that was me as the dog. Sorry about licking you before, but sometimes when you're transformed you can't help but let the animal side take over" the witch assured her, causing the knight to just nod as Cinder stood up to get cups for them then turned proceeding back to her seat.

"R-Right. Anyways um...so you know about the reason why I've come from the village?" the redhead asked hesitantly, causing Cinder to sigh out as she sat back down.

"I take it that's why you come here so armed?" Cinder eyed the weapons Ruby had hung on her hips.

"Huh? No! Well, I mean I'm a knight but that's just for self defense! I had no intention of attacking you or anything! I need to get your side of the story!" The witch was honestly surprised. She raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting that she had kept to what she told her when she was a dog.

"Oh? Is that so? Usually when a knight is sent to a witch it's to slay her and burn her. Not to have a nice meal and tea."

"Well not in this case I guess" Ruby laughed. "You see I heard their accusations of you and most of it wasn't really life endangering or even worth killing you for, so I figured why not hear your side of the story first before jumping to conclusions?"Cinder found this to be a strange young knight since most would just attack her kind without warning, but smiled as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair.

"We have a few moments till the tea boils, what would you like to know?" Ruby was glad to have the witches cooperation as a smile grew on her face. And It seemed there was no need for any sort of drastic measures yet like the villagers suggested, an outcome neither she nor the witch would want.

"Great! Okay so let's start with their accusations. One of them said you set his pants on fire" Cinder sighed out and rested a hand on her head.

"I did, however he didn't understand when no meant no. He asked, or basically demanded I be his bedfellow. I wholeheartedly refused and he wouldn't stop saying he needed someone to warm his bed and his lower regions. So I set his pants ablaze, of course with him being able to put it out" The witch smirked triumphantly as she recalled the fond memory of the large oaf of a man jumping and rolling around with his pants ablaze, especially on a specific part of his pants.

"Okay, so self defense. Another said you made it so her kids would float in the air for a whole day" The witch chuckled at yet another fond memory from earlier in the week, one with two darling little children.

"Her children were being ever so lovely angels. Especially when they decided to throw rocks and feces at me as I got some supplies to bring home. So to reward them for being so kind to a woman just walking by, I had them float until the next day just out of their parents' reach. And if their parents tried to climb to get them they would go higher, but come back down if they go lower. They came back down gently though since I'm not cruel to children. Well, too cruel that is" Cinder assured the knight.

"Got it self defense, again. And what of a man claiming you turned him into a newt?" Cinder looked up in thought before suddenly remembering, and smiling sheepishly.

"I...did that one just to see if I could."

"You...actually turned him into a newt?!" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"I made sure nothing attacked or ate him! And he turned back only a moment or two later, so he got better" the witch gave a smile of pure innocence causing Ruby to roll her eyes. "It was for science! Well, magic actually, but still there was no harm done." Cinder then stood up at the sound of the pot boiling, retrieved it and began to pour tea for herself and the young knight.

"Thank you, and you're right no harm was done. But the villagers still don't exactly want you here or like you" Ruby warned as she took the cup and blew on her tea to cool it down before taking a slight sip. When she did though the redhead was met with two things, a lovely taste of raspberry but also the terrible feeling of it being boiling hot. "H-Hot! B-But it does taste so good."

"Thank you, and in that case I'll just leave" Cinder sat down and sipped her scolding hot tea with no problem, as if the heat didn't bother her anyways.

"Okay-Wait, just like that? I mean this is your home, though you just moved here, but still..." Ruby said feeling guilty.

"What good is a home if I don't even feel welcome there? Especially when an angry mob might want to burn me alive?"

"You um...got a point there" the knight agreed rubbing her head. Cinder just smiled as she flicked her hand, and shot a spell at Ruby's tea.

"There, it's still hot, but not enough to burn your tongue" Ruby smiled and happily drank her tea loving the raspberry flavor. "Plus I don't think it's time I settled down yet. I mean after all, there's still a world to explore out there, with even a few good people worth meeting. Especially when they're short girls who are full of surprises."

"Yeah that's true...Hey!" Cinder chuckled once Ruby caught on. "Teasing aside, where will you go?" Cinder rested a hand on her chin in thought, before realization dawned on her and looked to the young knight with mischief in her eyes.

"Well, I do know of a rather short knight who I could go on adventures with. And it seems she's bound to have many ahead of her on her journey and could use some company" Ruby just began to tilt her head wondering who she meant, but Cinder just found it adorable and smiled. "One who likes dogs, who has pretty silver eyes, and short red hair" the witch leaned forward poking the redhead right on the nose. When Ruby realized she would be joining herself, her silver eyes went wide looking to the witch in disbelief.

"Me? Why? I mean I'm just an apprentice and nothing special really! Not to mention I get lost easily so you may not wanna come..." Ruby laughed nervously.

"Which is another reason I should join you. Besides, unlike most people I like your company" The young knight blushed and smiled not honestly expecting to hear that from the witch, but it wasn't unwelcome. "Especially when you act so adorable. Though I also wish to see something for myself" Cinder leaned back, her smile fading as she closed her eyes. "Do you truly believe anyone is worth saving? No matter who they are or what they've done?" the witch opened her bright amber eyes, her gaze fixed to Ruby whose own smile faded for a second, but still had those wide innocent eyes. The spell caster searched her eyes for the slightest hint of hesitance or fear to see if the knight would remain true to her word or change what she said from before.

"It doesn't matter who they are or what they've done. It's about doing what's right, even if they're an enemy" Ruby's bright silver eyes remained unchanged, determination filling them as she truly believing what she said. And even though Cinder searched for that hesitance, fear, or doubt, she couldn't find it in her eyes, causing the witch to smile.

"Then I wish to be there for you, so that I can witness you and make sure you keep to your word. To see if when the worst comes that you'll keep to what you promised and keep that determination" the witch then flicked her wrist and a bag appeared almost out of thin air. Cinder then stood and rose both of her arms, as she did various objects from around the room began to raise. Books, ingredients, glasses of potions, and beakers, even some food from the cabinets floated out, converging into her bag. All of it miraculously fit into the small travel bag Cinder now held, which didn't even change size or appear to be overstuffed.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Ruby just looked with amazement on her face and her jaw slightly agape.

"A bag of holding, which comes very handy for when you have things you can't leave behind but not a lot of room for them" the witch then found her coin purse, placing it into the bag as well. "Shall we then?"

"S-So soon? I mean we just had tea and need to get back to the town!" Ruby exclaimed as she moved to quickly follow the witch out of the hut.

"We'll stop there on the way, and why not now? After all it's an adventure isn't it? The sooner we start, the more discoveries we'll make" So the two of them walked out of the hut and back into the forest surrounding it. Once they were a good distance Cinder's hand began to glow and she launched a fireball towards the hut. It engulfed in flame, even it's stone seemed to catch fire. Ruby just looked on at the sudden action and turned to the witch in confusion. "It'll give the villagers some peace of mind that nothing is left of the big bad witch" The young knight just nodded as she then turned with the witch to leave the now burning cottage, walking back towards the town.

* * *

"We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us young knight!" Lord Port announced as the town cheered for their hero Ruby, who stood before them with a certain midnight furred dog at her side. The villagers seemed to treat it as a triumphant return for the young knight who defeated the witch, when all she did was enjoy a nice meal, chat and have some tea.

"I-It was nothing really. I just talked with her and convinced her to leave, but she said she wouldn't return and apologized for the trouble she caused" Ruby assured them with a smile, though Cinder rolled her eyes sitting next to the girl.

"Well Ms. Rose if there's anything we can do for you, please name it and it's yours!" Ruby looked to the dog then pondered in thought as she thought of something they could give her. The midnight furred canine looked up as well tilting her head curiously.

"There is one thing. A horse and buggy! A small buggy though I don't need anything big, just enough for me and my new friend" the redhead grinned petting Cinder's head, who leaned into the knight's touch. Lord Port just gave a hearty laugh as he heard the request.

"I believe that sounds reasonable enough!"

And with that Ruby and Cinder had received a small four wheel carriage with a brown and white mare to pull them along. Ruby of course only had her own and Cinder's bags but the townsfolk once again decided that she needed to be loaded up with food before setting off onto the road with various meats, vegetables, and even spices. Once they were about a mile or so away from the village, Cinder changed from her midnight-furred self into her normal looking human self, sitting next to Ruby as she guided the horse.

"You know, you didn't have to lie for me" The witch innocently wrapped an arm around the young knight, pulling her close causing the young knight to blush.

"Yeah but it made the townspeople at least hate you less so it's something" Ruby looked to the witch who just shook her head and smiled, not caring what the town thought of her. So Ruby pulled out the piece of parchment that was her map and triumphantly grinned. "And now we can be on our way to the next town which should be about five miles away!"

"Five? The next village from Portstown is about ten miles away" Cinder looked over Ruby's shoulder at the map.

"W-Wait...that was Portstown? I thought that was Patch Village!" Ruby looked confused as she looked to the map. As she read the map sudden realization filled her eyes and she leaned back in anguish. "Dang it! I knew I went the wrong way at the fork in the road!" Cinder took the map from the redhead looking it over, raising an eyebrow as she tried to figure out where they were and where they were going.

"Wow you are bad at directions" The witch laughed as she looked over the parchment in her hands. "It's only a little off course; we should be able to make up for it Little Rose" she assured the knight while patting her head. That seemed to make Ruby perk up a bit and brought her focus back to the road, and Cinder began to work out their new route to Beacon and the cities they would reach along their journey.

Ruby began looking onward to the road ahead, then up to the clear, slightly orange sky as the sun began to set. A grin spread across her face for already having gained a companion for her journey, as well as a horse and carriage by simply befriending her. For Ruby, and Cinder, this was the beginning of something truly wonderful, and an epic journey like none they would have had before.

"Cinder, I think this is the start of a grand adventure" the knight smiled eagerly, earning a chuckle from the witch.

"And what better way to start than with a strong sexy knight sweeping a misunderstood voluptuous witch off her feet?" Ruby sputtered as she heard the comment, her face glowing red, earning a giggle from the mischievous witch.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello You awesome lovely people! So this is the Updated version of the first chapter and from now on will be new chapters! I hope you all enjoy this edit that my lovely lady Lauren helped me with! We hope you all enjoy it and will continue reading and thank you all for being understanding. Please leave reviews and such for how you like it and enjoy it! And now a word from Lauren to close us off! Lauren?**

 ** _I've been promoted from just grammar edits...yet I didn't even get a raise...there...i said more than just a word..._  
**

 **Thank you Lauren...**

 **Next Time! : Ruby gets lost in the next town and has help to find Cinder, And Cinder has help to find Ruby, though this help isn't what they expected...**

 **Coverart by**

 **kinzaibatsu91! Just add the .com after gyazo and get rid of the spaces! embed . gyazo /6c7b3df6646c9bca8d03e26afb5275ab. png**


	2. Welcome to the Big City

Chapter 2

Welcome to the Big City

It's the early afternoon now as life in the city of Atlas goes about it's normal everyday hustle and bustle. It's a large city even with a river running through it and a somewhat dense population. Almost every street in the city is paved and covered in brick or stone of some sort, including bridges and other structures. The buildings themselves being of wood and the same stone that made the majority of the city. And at the entrance of the city, a small carriage with two female passengers arrived to the gates of the city. As ones who have spent a good majority of their morning traveling, there were more than ready for a much needed stop. Especially a certain redheaded knight.

"WE MADE IT! SWEET PRECIOUS LAND!" Ruby exclaimed as she dove out of the carriage and attempted to hug the ground. She even made attempts to kiss the ground she now found to be so precious.

"Oh come now! The ride wasn't that bad" Cinder, her newly found friend, chuckled as she hopped out as well and stood next to her. Ruby however, isn't laughing but rather spins around to stand up, pointing an accusing finger at the witch.

"I thought we were going the quickest way! Not the most dangerous!" Ruby yelled.

"That was the quickest way" Cinder retorted.

"We went over a ravine with the bridge out!"

"I had the horse jump and I used my magic to make sure we wouldn't fall."

"You took us through a bears' den and woke up all the bears! All ten of them!"

"There were only six, and the cave was much shorter than taking the path for an extra day."

"Those crops that farmer had are ruined now!"

"Don't worry they'll grow back, plus I pushed out some food to make up for what we destroyed" the witch had an answer to every accusation the young knight had for her and just gave the knight her sweetest most innocent smile.

"You're never navigating for us again!" Ruby pouted as she crossed her arms. The witch looked on towards the pouting knight, and honestly couldn't help but find it rather cute and amusing.

"Keep doing that face Little Rose and it'll be stuck that way" Cinder teased, poking her nose. "Now then, how about this. If my navigating is so terrible, we'll find a better one eventually and have them guide us, sound good?" Cinder asked. Ruby sat there pondering what her companion offered, then sighed in defeat.

"Fine...only because I'd get us lost..." The young knight admitted in defeat causing the witch to smile victoriously. Cinder however noticed the frown on her companion's face and just moved in, wrapping her arms around her.

"There, there Little Rose. I won't be too rough next time I navigate. And for putting up with my...faster route, how about I treat you? This area is known for their fine meals and being this is a city of trade, I'm sure I can find something you like" the witch said, trying to cheer her up and make up for the trauma she put the young knight through earlier. Ruby thought for a moment before smiling and just nodding.

"Okay fine...but only if we can find chocolate chip cookies! And we have to be sure it's chocolate chip and not raisin! Curse those dried fruits trying to act like chocolate chips..." The knight said, mumbling under her breath, though only causing Cinder to more amused as she listened to the young knight's ranting and troubling raisins.

"I take it you're not fond of them?" The witch inquired.

"I'm fine with them by themselves but not in my cookies! I really hate it though when a cookie looks like it has chocolate chips but instead has raisins! It's a cookie of lies that crushes hopes and dreams!" Ruby shook her fist at the very thought of the defiled cookie while Cinder just stood there amused and surprised by Ruby's hatred of raisin cookies and how passionate she was about said hatred.

"You take your chocolate chip cookies seriously don't you Little Rose?" Cinder asked, tilting her head.

"Cookies are always serious business!" Ruby proudly proclaimed. Cinder couldn't help but smile and continued with Ruby into the city. "So um...before you got me started there, I should have asked, where exactly are we?" Ruby asked.

"Welcome my Little Rose to Vale, city of trade and commerce" Cinder announced, as they through the front gates. Ruby looked on with wide-eyes and gaped at the marvels of the stone structures. She saw some buildings towered several stories and that the roads were even paved. People of all kinds walked about from place to place, both faunus and humans. Each with their own destination or business to attend to. There was even room for carriages to pass through on the paved road. Lining the streets themselves were several stalls and booths set up with vendors selling their wares in the city to both residents and tourists alike. "Many people come through here either traveling, for work, or to relax and enjoy themselves" the knight nodded as she listened and turned back to Cinder.

"Have you been here before?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Once. A long time ago, but enough about that, how about I treat you and that sweet tooth?" the witch asked, changing the subject. The knight caught this however, but she wasn't going to press the issue. Ruby just smiled and thought to herself; whenever Cinder was ready to share she'd gladly listen.

"That sounds great" the redhead smiled and followed after the witch. They proceeded down the stone-paved streets next to one another, and soon came upon a more crowded portion of the city. "Why are there so many people here?" Ruby asked. Cinder however noticed that there were more stalls and vendors here than before, as well as other shops and stores that were in actual stone buildings. A step up from the once common vendors with wooden tables or blankets to display their wares.

"This is the marketplace. It's a section of the city devoted to buying and selling of goods" Cinder answered. "There's probably a bakery here that sells chocolate chip cookies. This is probably the place we need to be" Ruby grinned from ear to ear upon hearing this, nodding happily.

"Yay! Let's go then!" the knight smiled as she picked up the pace and breezed past Cinder, causing the witch to quickly catch up to her and grab the girl.

"Slow down Little Rose! If you rush off without me you might get lost in the crowd. We wouldn't want that now would we Ruby?" Cinder reasoned with the girl, causing Ruby to think a moment. Ruby suddenly shivered as she imagined herself lost in the city with no one else she knew, especially with how crowded it was.

"Y-Yeah you're right. I'll try to stay close by" the redhead agreed and stuck by Cinder's side.

The two of them continued on their quest for the chocolatey treat until Ruby noticed something that catch her attention, throwing her off guard completely. The innocent redhead turned and her eyes widened as she saw one of the most beautiful things to behold her sight. Lined up in a section on the side of the road were several vendors with either stands or blankets, but all of them were selling items that Ruby was even more passionate about then cookies. Weapons.

Cinder was suddenly drawn from her thoughts as she heard an audible gasp from her comrade and looked to her in confusion. Ruby however, had already rushed over at inhuman speed to the weapon's vendors and had already begun ogling their wares. The witch caught up and could see the eyes of the young knight sparkling.

"They're...beautiful!" Ruby smiled as she picked up a curved blade made in the east, looking over it's craftsmanship. "Now that's a katana! And that's a greataxe! And that's a spear!" Cinder looked over Ruby's shoulder wondering why she was so excited as she picked up and inspected them.

"They are, but why are you so excited over them?" the witch asked.

"Why? It's because they're awesome! Every weapon is different and unique! Certain weapons are perfect for certain people and are extensions of who they are!" the knight just smiled as she looked over the blades in front of her. "I really like making weapons and looking at other peoples'! I made my own myself!" Cinder blinked several times, before looking to the crossbow on her hip, as well as the large curved sword.

"You made those?"

"Yup! They're my babies!" Ruby smiled, patting the curved sword at her side as well as her beloved crossbow. However her focus soon returned to the various weapons before herself. Cinder just smiled and shook her head as Ruby continued to gaze longingly at the artistry before her. Figuring they'd be here a while at this rate, she decided to maybe look around for something that peaked her own interests.

"Honestly Little Rose you are a strange...knight..." Cinder sputtered as she turned from the weapons vendor to look around. She suddenly froze with her gaze locked onto a cloaked man looming in the crowd. Her eyes widened as she recognized the man. She felt petrified seeing those familiar golden eyes, the scars over his left eye, and even the dark midnight but now graying beard as he walked by. "I-It can't be..." she followed him with her eyes as he went deeper and deeper into the crowd.

"Ruby! Follow me right now!" Cinder shouted out as she ran after the cloaked man through the crowd.

"Yeah, okay Cinder I'll be there in a moment! Oh that's another beauty!" Ruby however, had her attention on the weapons before herself, not realizing the witch ran off into the crowd, leaving behind the completely oblivious weapons fanatic.

* * *

The witch tried to push herself through the crowded market to catch up to the man with the golden eyes. Every time she seemed to get closer to the man though he always seemed to draw further away into the crowded street. Cinder desperately tried to bridge the gap between them, as if her very life depended on it.

"Ruby stay close to me!" she called out to her knight companion, while still oblivious to the fact that Ruby wasn't also giving chase, or even close enough to hear her. She was so enamored with catching the cloaked man she didn't even realize how much time had passed by. So she continued running after the mystery man, finally pursuing him past crowd once it had cleared. He then turned a corner ahead of her, going down an alley. A moment of relief crossed her mind as she turned the corner after him, believing to finally have caught him.

"Father!" Cinder cried out as she rounded the corner, only to find nothing but a dead end with no one there other than herself. The witch looked from side to side seeing if there were any doors or even other alleys, but no other escape routes were found. "Dammit, I thought that was him..." she cursed to herself as she turned to leave the alley. However as she turned, something giving off a slight shine caught her eye. Stopping a moment to see what it is, Cinder knelt down picking up the object which appeared to be a small silver pendant.

"What's this?" Cinder looked to the curious object finding it was a pendant with an image engraved on it that seemed for some reason recognizable for her, or at least it felt like it should be. She didn't quite know why but Cinder felt that the man in the cloak left this for her and she'd have more answers if she continued this journey.

The witch put the pendant into her pocket before turning to walk out of the alleyway and round the corner. As she did so however, Cinder felt something was...off. As if something that was supposed to be there with her wasn't. Something or someone that should have been right there with her this whole time. It slowly dawned on her as Cinder's eyes widened in panic and dread filled her, realizing she left behind the one person in the city who shouldn't be left alone in a big city.

"Oh no..." Cinder groaned out.

* * *

"What?! 500 Lien for this?! It's not even made well!" A shouting Ruby Rose caught the attention of the many market place goers as they passed by. "This sword is completely unbalanced and the handle even jiggles! And why do you have these gems in the hilt?! They'd fall right off with the first hit if it would last a single blow! Con artist!" Ruby growled out as she set the weapon down and turned to leave, leaving a shocked and growling merchant behind as people started to walk away from his wares.

"All right Cinder where...are...we...going?" The apprentice however didn't realize that her companion wasn't in sight. A lot of people happened to be around, but none of them were her friend.

"C-Cinder? C-Cinder?!" Ruby called out in a panic as she looked around trying to find her lost witch. She moved into the sea of people as she looked about trying to find her friend, however none of these people were the woman she was looking for. Ruby then felt herself growing anxious as the crowd closed in around herself, causing the dark redhead to panic, feeling as if she'd be carried away with the crowd. So Ruby pushed herself out of the crowd to the side of it saying her 'excuse me's' and 'pardon me's' sheepishly on the way until she pushed through and was clear of the crowd.

"D-Did she leave me?" Ruby questioned helplessly as she sat on a bench pulling her knees up to herself and wrapped her arms and cloak around her. Ruby tried to recall what Cinder was doing while she browsed the weapons at the vendor. However Ruby suddenly remembered as she heard Cinder call out to her for Ruby to follow her, as if needing her to follow her. Realizing that when her friend needed her, she instead ignored her with her own obsession with weapons.

"I-I...I ignored her" The knight whispered to herself as she held her legs closer to herself and began to sniffle. She not only abandoned her friend but her friend left her because she didn't follow after her. Ruby just kept jumping to conclusions as she thought of the disappointed look her witch companion would have if she ran into her. What if even at this very moment Cinder was wandering the streets filled with grief and worry, looking for Ruby. Worse yet, what if Cinder was in trouble and in need of help. "I-I'm such an idiot..." The girl then felt a couple tears rolling down her face as she faced the possibility of losing her first friend she made on this journey. Ruby with her head down, swallowed in her grief, didn't hear the footsteps approaching her.

"Hey, you all right?" Ruby suddenly looked up and blinked a few times as she saw a young man with dark skin standing in front of her. She could see he wore a wide brimmed hat and had a trumpet strapped to his thigh, and a gold earring in one of his ears. "Cutie like you shouldn't be crying, so what's up Red? Why the tears?" He asked with hands in his pockets.

Ruby sniffled and wiped the tears from her face as well as any snot that ran down her nose on her sleeve.

"W-Well...I lost my friend" Ruby began. "I was too busy looking at weapons and I got really distracted. But while I was distracted she walked off and called out to me to follow her I think but then I didn't listen and just kept looking at weapons! I lost track of time especially when someone was trying to rip people off and told him off, but at that point is when I lost Cinder and now I don't know where she is! And I think she's going to be mad cause she called out for me to follow her and I didn't. I'm trying really hard to become knight and she's the first and only friend I have so far but now I've lost her and I'm all alone in this place!" Ruby spoke a mile a minute explaining her predicament to a now wide-eyed young man.

"U-Um...right so you're lost and your friend is somewhere in the city?" Ruby nodded answering his question. "Well consider yourself not alone anymore! Name's Flynt Coal, minstrel and musician in the city of Atlas" Flynt bowed before her.

The young knight blinked several times confused before standing up. "I-I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. W-Well it's nice to meet you Mr. Coal, but I'm not sure if I can repay you or anything. I don't exactly have too much to offer for your help." Flynt however just shook his head, resting his hands on his hips.

"Please, Flynt works just fine. And think nothing of it! I can't help but assist a cute rose like you out of trouble" he winked giving the best handsome smile he could give. Ruby however just looked uneasy and began to back away. "I-I'm sorry is my technique that bad?"

"I-It just seemed a little creepy to me, especially from someone I don't know..." As the knight told him, Flynt just slumped in defeat.

"Guess I shouldn't be too forward next time, but I actually do wanna help ya. After all you knights are about helping people right? It's not everyday you get to be of help to one" the dark young man smiled and winked to Ruby. She however just smiled and rolled her eyes.

"All right fine, but don't make things awkward or creepy again" The knight warned him. "If you do I'll have my friend light your pants on fire, bite you, and make you float for a whole day!" Flynt however just laughed at the threat.

"I'm sure she-wait what? Did you say bite me and light me on fire?"

"Did I stutter?" The knight questioned making Flynt just lookeconfused and go wide-eyed.

"N-No, no you didn't. So, shall we find your possibly scary friend?" The young man asked now slightly worried.

"Oh she's not scary. She's really nice when you cook for her and give her belly rubs" The redhead chimed as she began to walk down the street, a very confused Flynt following behind her with one thing on his mind.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

In another part of town however a certain witch sighed out in frustration as she searched for the redheaded knight. She knew it was partially her fault for leaving her behind and not being sure Ruby was following her. "Where could she have gone? Cinder asked herself as she walked by a fruit stand. Without even thinking the witch took an apple from it and bit right into the fruit out of frustration.

"Oi!" Cinder froze in her tracks as she heard the owner of the fruit stand. "You gonna pay for that?!" the large man questioned. Cinder looked confused for a second until it dawned on her what she was doing.

"Sorry about that sir I wasn't thinking! Just give me one moment" The witch reached into her pocket to fetch some money for the man. However she suddenly froze when she found nothing, proceeding to look in another pocket to find nothing once more, and repeating in another pocket again with nothing. When she looked to the man, she smiled sheepishly as she presented nothing to him, causing him to growl out.

"So you're just a stinking thief then huh?" Cinder began to panic realizing she couldn't do anything for the money right now and she needed to find Ruby. So she did the most logical thing she could do. She kicked out one of the legs of the apple stand making all of the red apples fall to the ground and roll away. Then she bolted off in the opposite direction as the man yelled after her. "Thief! Guards catch her! She stole from me and broke my stand!"

Cinder looked behind her to see two city guards running after her, cursing as she continued running farther ahead until she turned down an alleyway. The guards had caught up to the alley and quickly turned to continue chasing her, though when they looked in the alleyway all they saw was a dead-end and a stray black dog laying on the ground asleep. The two however just walked away thinking she had escaped them and continued down the street searching. When they were gone, the canine raised it's head and sighed out in relief before transforming into the amber-eyed witch once more.

The witch just sighed out as she realized she was in even more of a mess now with the city guards looking for her and would make searching for Ruby that much harder. Unless she was a dog the entire time looking for her...It would make things a bit easier for her to move around, hopefully unnoticed. Either way though Cinder just wished she had been more vigilant and made sure either Ruby was following her or didn't run off without her.

"Where are you Little Rose?" The fugitive sighed as she thought of what to do now. What Cinder didn't notice however was a smirking pink haired woman with pig tails and a cat tail the same color as her hair grinning mischievously looking right at her. "How am I going to find you Ruby?"

"I could possibly help wolf lady!" Cinder froze hearing someone basically call her out on being a witch. "And just so you know you should totally find a better hiding spot to transform or shape shift or whatever that was. So are you a werewolf or a shapeshifter? It must be gross being a werewolf; probably a lot of unnecessary hair everywhere. Are you really hairy lady? You have long hair but you don't seem really hairy. Does it all just go back into yourself when you change?" The witch however immediately regretted turning to listen to this woman. Ruby's rambling was cute, adorable even. This however, was beyond an irritation for her and Cinder didn't want to hear another second of this.

"Yeah I'm gonna go" Cinder turned to leave.

"Why're you going? I wanna help you!" the cat-tailed faunus called out with a smile chasing after her. "You said something about looking for a rose? Why a little one? Does the size of it really matter? Is Ruby who the rose is for? Ruby's a weird name for a guy, unless you're into girls, which is weird too. You sound like a complete weirdo!" Cinder had had enough and turned to the girl.

"Yes I'm a weirdo but at least I'm not a complete annoyance! And I'm looking for my traveling companion Ruby. And no I'm not looking for a rose, her last name is Rose, so I call her little Rose cause she's short!" The witch growled out as her amber eyes literally glowed from anger due to this annoyance of a woman before her.

"Ooooh...that's a little less weird but you still seem weird. Name's Neon; yours weird lady?" Cinder just blinked a few moments looking to her.

"You're not gonna leave me alone are you?"

"Nope" Neon grinned.

"Fine, name's Cinder. Neon was it? Why is it you are looking to help me look for my friend?" Cinder asked. However the witch thought of Neon as more of a thorn in the side than a help.

"It's not everyday you see a wolf lady, and if I stick with you something's bound to happen that's interesting. And I know the city pretty well, having been born and raised here" the cat-tailed faunus nodded. "Plus if you continue being a dog without a collar by yourself the cops might take you to the pound" the faunus smirked. "And if you're human those guards will be looking for you; so either way looks like you need my help."

Cinder was about to say something to retort Neon, however the bit about being a dog without a collar and possibly being caught and thrown into a cage was not very appealing. Also, being chased by the city's guard as a human would make things worse for her so either way the witch was in a tough spot. She groaned out in frustration as she ran her hands through her midnight locks. Her options were to receive help from this somewhat friendly but mischievous girl to find her Ruby, or go by herself in none other than her canine form and possibly be caught and locked up for not having an owner. Even if the witch was caught then transformed back into a human in containment, it would cause more harm and prolong her search for Ruby. So the witch sighed out in defeat and rubbed her head.

"It seems I don't have too much of a choice do I?" Neon's grin widened as she heard the witch give in and clapped her hands.

"Great! You won't regret this!" Cinder groaned at the faunus's enthusiasm and knew this was gonna be a long day unless they could find Ruby sooner than later.

* * *

On another side the city currently one young knight and her new temporary companion had been searching the streets for Cinder. However as they continued the search Ruby and Flynt found no sign of the witch with eyes of fire. They had searched all over the market square and gone down a few alleys nearby, but none of them had any leads on where she could be.

"I hope she's not mad at me" Ruby whimered. "I should have just listened to her and followed" Flynt reached over and patted the young knight's shoulder with a smile.

"Hey no beating yourself up. We all make mistakes Ruby. I'm sure she'd forgive you if she's your friend" the musician assured her, getting a nod from the younger girl. "So you didn't really tell me too much about your friend. Cinder was it?" The minstrel asked, rubbing his head. "What kinda girl is she for her to be able to have such...colorful ways of threatening people?" The young knight just laughed innocently hearing his description of the threat.

"She's a witch, but don't worry; she's not a bad witch just misunderstood" the young man nodded now, understanding but still somewhat confused by her threat.

"So she's got fire magic or something I'm guessing, and can transform into a dog?" He asked.

"Yeah how'd you know?"

"Well you said she'd set me on fire and bite me. There was also something about her liking belly rubs" The young knight just smiled thinking of the very accurate description.

"It's true though. She does like them when she's a wolf at least" Ruby smiled fondly. "So tell me do you have some friends here in the city?" The young knight tilted her head. Flynt however paused for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

"Other then my family not really. At least not anymore" He admitted, this causing the knight to raise a dark eyebrow.

"Why not anymore?" she asked.

"It's a long story, one I'd rather not talk about" Flynt admitted. "Let's not bring up sad stories and focus on finding your friend" Ruby left it at that, not wanting to bring back painful memories for the dark colored minstrel.

The pair walked on trying to find the amber-eyed witch, continuing down the sidewalk together. They had passed by several small shops and businesses. Ruby noticed how they were all different kinds of services in the city, as well as different places for people to stay. The young knight however came to a halt when she spotted none other than a small pet shop across the street.

"Oh! Maybe she's there!" Flynt looked to where Ruby was pointing, raising an eyebrow.

"Ruby I don't think she'd..." before Flynt could finish however, Ruby moved at inhuman speeds across the street, running towards the shop. "...be there..."

* * *

Inside of the small pet store, Tukson's Pet's For All, a large man stood behind the counter. This man was none other than Mr. Tukson himself. At first glance one wouldn't assume him to be a faunus but he was and decided to run a small pet shop. He was met with relative success, with little drama, and not too many incidents involving his animals. He also sold accessories such as collars and leashes, as well as food for the animals. For him, this was just the start of another day with hopefully little to no drama and nothing notably exciting. Just how he liked his days to go. But today was not going to be that kind of day for him.

Suddenly his door burst open and it seemed as if a tornado rushed in with enough force from it's winds to knock over several stands with collars on them. Some of the food had spilled all over the floor as well and the bird cages he had at the front had opened when they hit the ground, scaring the birds and causing them to fly out of their cages. All of the dogs began barking from the sudden disturbance as well, adding to the confusion. And the cause of this chaos was none other then a short, red-haired girl with a sword at her side standing before him.

"Do you have a large fluffy dog who likes meat and belly rubs?!" Tukson stood there confused as he heard the girl's question and didn't know if he should yell at her, help her, or just run her out of her shop.

"Um..." he pointed over to the dogs in various cages who were all barking now thanks to this disruptive girl before him. She quickly turned to look before groaning out in frustration.

"No that's not what I'm looking for! Ugh!" And with that the short tornado of a girl zoomed right back out, causing another bird cage to fall over, releasing more of the winged creatures. Tukson just stood there in pure shock, not sure what had just transpired in his shop but he knew one thing for sure. His quiet peaceful day was now ruined and one small redhead had been the cause.

The door however opened once more about a minute or so later and now a pink haired girl with a long pink cat tail stepped into his shop. He quickly recognized her as the resident troublemaker Neon.

"Hey Tuk! Just gonna snag a collar here but I'll bring it back to ya! Promise! If I remember...but wow your shop's a mess! Looks like a tornado went through here. Anyways I'm gonna help my weird friend find her tiny flower or something so I'll see ya! I'll bring the collar back later maybe!" Neon proceeded to grab the collar and didn't even bother to listen to Tukson, if he had anything to say, while nearly letting a few birds out as she left.

The poor man just looked at his shop as he sat behind his counter, seeing the animals running amok and the mess of food and other items all over the floor. He sighed out as he reached under the counter. pulling out a bottle of whiskey and a small glass. A label reading 'in case of emergency's' was on the side. He just poured himself a glass and downed the shot before slamming it on the counter.

"This is gonna be a long day..."

* * *

Ruby had returned to Flynt with her head hung low pouting. The young man just smiled as he reached over patting her shoulder to comfort her once more.

"Not in the pet store I take it?" Ruby shook her head. "Come on, cheer up we'll find her. Let's head back to the town center. Maybe we'll find her there" Ruby nodded as she followed the young Minstrel.

As they walked back however, neither of them realized that if they kept walking the way they were going, in an alleyway ahead one Neon had been bringing a collar to a familiar wolf. The witch just scowled as she took the collar, knowing she was going to hate wearing this thing. Though she proceeded to put it around her neck and wore it so it was loosely fit.

"I'm really not going to like this thing" the witch groaned.

"I think it's cute on you! Even though you're not a dog right now...It'd be even cuter on you if you were a dog. But you're not now so it makes you look kinda weird at the moment but whatever it's to help find your friend!" Cinder sighed once more rubbing her temples just hoping for once Neon wouldn't talk for as long as she did.

"Now I'm really not going to like this thing; come on Neon. I want to find her soon. The sun's going down and I don't want her by herself in the city at night time" the amber-eyed woman said as she moved deeper into the alley to transform once more.

"Why are you trying to find her so badly?" Neon asked, causing Cinder to stop and look to the faunus, raising an eyebrow.

"She's my friend. What other reason would I need?" The witched looked to Neon curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Would she do the same for you? Would she risk herself like you are for her?" Cinder was very curious now why she was asking but figured maybe it had to do with something with the Faunus's past.

"She already has" Neon just blinked several times tilting her head. "Ruby had the option to kill me because a village had hired her to get rid of me. However she opted to talk with and find out my side of things before just trying to kill me" the witch explained with a smile. "She's a knight with almost every right to have attacked a witch like me but instead opted to help me. So yes, she would risk herself for me and I would gladly do the same for her" Cinder proudly admitted. Neon pondered everything she had said before a smile spread on her face.

"Then let's find your friend. A good friend is hard to come by" Neon returned to her happy smiling demeanor and Cinder just watched her walk away with slight confusion. There was something more to what Neon was asking but chose not to pry. She just wanted to find Ruby so they could be off on their journey once more.

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

The sky began to darken as the sun had set over the horizon, and Ruby sat on the ground in defeat with Flynt patting her back as she wallowed in despair for not being able to find Cinder.

"I'm such a terrible friend Flynt. I couldn't even find her because I didn't follow her" Ruby said glumly as she pulled her knees into her chest, resting her head on them.

"Hey Ruby cheer up. Maybe she was looking for you as well. Let's just stay here a while for now and maybe she'll come back here, yeah?" Currently they were sitting in the market square once more where Ruby had originally lost Cinder, only now with much fewer people than before. Ruby just looked to the boy and nodded as he tried to comfort her.

"I just wish I had followed her earlier. Then I wouldn't be in this mess..." Ruby kept her head down as she even began to sniffle, feeling her tears almost spill out.

"Hey none of that now. She shouldn't have left you either, so it's not just your fault" the musician assured her. "Tell you what! How about I get a treat for us to help ya feel better?" Ruby just looked up and nodded. "All right I'll be right back" Flynt stood up, walking to the bakery not too far from them. When he returned Ruby looked up and her eyes lit up seeing what Flynt had for her. A large chocolate chip cookie fresh from the bakery.

"Here it's still warm" the musician smiled handing it to Ruby.

"Awe thank you Flynt!" Ruby grinned excitedly before leaning down and taking a large bite of the warm soft delicacy. As she chewed however, Ruby's face went from happy, to confused, to horror, and finally to one of anger. "You...FIEND!" Ruby exclaimed as she stood up growling to Flynt.

"H-Huh?"

"How could you do something so wicked and take advantage of me like that?!" Ruby began to raise her voice to a screech.

"W-What are you talking about? I-I thought you'd like it!" Flynt began to panic and back away.

"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD GET SOMEONE A RAISIN COOKIE WITHOUT TELLING THEM IT'S RAISIN?!"

Meanwhile not too far from the market center Cinder had been walking as a dog with Neon towards the marketplace when they heard the young knight shouting. The dog perked her ears and immediately took off for the direction of the voice.

"H-Hey wait!" Neon called out as she tailed behind Cinder trying to catch up with the sprinting canine. The two of them arrived in the marketplace square and Cinder transformed as she approached Ruby from behind, neither the knight nor Flynt noticing since Ruby was so alarmingly scolding him.

"You can't just assume someone would like oatmeal raisin! It's a cookie of lies!" Cinder just smiled as she walked behind the seething Ruby, tapping her on the shoulder. The redhead quickly turned, looking to Cinder. "Hi Cinder" Ruby said before turning back around to continue scolding Flynt. However, she slowly stopped as realization donned on her and she turned back to face Cinder.

"Hi Little Rose" The witch just stood there with a smirk on her face.

"CINDER!" Ruby immediately jumped onto the other girl, hugging her. "I'm so sorry Cinder! I shouldn't have just ignored you and should've followed you! I thought you left me or that I lost you or you got hurt! I'm so so sorry!" Ruby apologized fervently and held onto Cinder who just smiled and hugged her back, rubbing her head.

"It's all right Ruby; it's all right. I'm here now" Cinder assured the girl who just sniffled looking up to her. "Plus I shouldn't have run off without you Little Rose, or at least made sure you were right behind me" the witch apologized as she held onto Ruby, comforting her. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that."

"It's fine Cinder. I'm just glad to have you back" Ruby admitted as the two let go.

"Hey don't run off ahead like that! You're fast for a dog!" Neon panted out as she caught up to Cinder.

"Who is that?" the young knight asked.

"She's a nuisance." the witch sighed out before smirking once more. "That's Neon. She's been assisting me in finding you, or at least she's tried to" Then looking to the young man behind Ruby, "And who's this?"

"Oh this is Flynt! He's been helping me try to look for you!" Ruby introduced the young man. "Flynt say hi!" Ruby looked back to Flynt however and stopped as she saw him looking to Neon, glaring at her. Cinder noticed and looked back to Neon who was glaring just as hard to Flynt.

Ruby and Cinder stepped to the side as Flynt and Neon quickly approached each other, neither of them missing a beat.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" they yelled in unison.

"I'm helping my new friend find someone she lost. What are you doing here?!" Flynt growled out.

"Me?! I was helping dog girl find her missing Rose friend person! Trust me the last person I wanted to see was you!" Neon retorted clenching her fists.

"Well, now that they're helped you should be on your way right and ignore me again?!"

"No, how about you leave like you did before huh?!" Neon growled out.

The two of them continued to bicker and yell in the street in front of the knight and the witch. The two of them looked at each other confused but Ruby of course quickly got over this. Instead, she was seeing a problem that needed to be fixed.

"ENOUGH!" Ruby quickly got between the two of them pushing them apart before Flynt and Neon came to blows. "You two obviously have a problem that needs to be solved and we're gonna solve this right now! Now my companion and I appreciate everything you've done for us but obviously you two have an even bigger problem than what ours was" both Neon and Flynt remained silent, glaring lethally at each other. The musician relented first and sighed out.

"Okay Ruby, what do you want?" he asked her.

"Okay first off, tell me the problem. One at a time...What started this fighting between you two. Flynt I'll start with you; then I'll listen to you Ms. Neon I believe" Ruby told the conditions and looked to Flynt.

"Basically we used to be really good friends. We would go everywhere and do everything together. Then one day she just ignored me and stopped wanting to be with me after a certain incident" Flynt began.

"It wasnt just one day I ignored you! You left me!" Neon interrupted.

"I didn't leave you by choice!"

"STOP!" This time Cinder jumped in to stop the bickering. "What does she mean by you left her?" the witch questioned causing the musician to rub his temple.

"A couple years back my sister was really sick. Like she would have died, kinda sick. We couldn't afford the medicine to save her, so Neon and I planned to sneak into the doctor's place and steal it. We went in the night and broke in, managing to get the medicine, but Neon was caught and Neon told me to go because I had to bring the medicine back home for my sister" the musician informed them.

"You don't actually leave your friend behind if they tell you to go!" Neon growled out. "You stay and help them try to escape too!"

"I had no choice Neon! My sister was dying!"

"And I could have died!" Neon shouted back, making him go silent.

"All right let's hear what Neon has to say now" Ruby said, looking to the cat tailed faunus.

"I agreed to help Flynt get the medicine to help his sister, and all is how he said, but he left me. He actually left me, and the worse part is, he didn't come back" Neon glared to the dark skinned young man. "I was taken to a prison for a whole year and not once did you come to me! Not once did you find me, or come to bail me out! How could you do that to me?! Your best friend!"

"Because I couldn't!" Flynt interrupted. "I came searching for you Neon right after I helped my sister, but I couldn't find you! I went back to the hospital to search and you weren't being held there! And the prison I thought you were taken to was torn down! I searched all over town for that prison and when I finally found it I couldn't get in! I wanted to come find you to help you! But I literally couldn't because none of the guards would let me in. I couldn't sneak over the wall and climb them. I had no physical way of getting to you" Flynt looked down to the ground. "And I tried, I tried so hard Neon. I wanted to help you; I wanted to see you...to see my best friend..." Neon flinched seeing the hurt musician.

"And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for not being there to help you. I'm so sorry I couldn't even see you Neon. I'm sorry I left you behind, and I regret it" Flynt even had a tear running down his cheek at this point. Ruby and Cinder looked to the cat-tailed faunus who just looked away, hugging herself.

"Neon is there something else you'd like to say?" the knight asked. The pink haired girl finally sighed out as she looked to the dark skinned musician.

"Flynt, you left me there. And I suffered in a prison for a year because of it" Neon began painfully, closing her eyes. "However, I didn't know you were trying to help me and see me. And I just assumed you abandoned and hated me..."

"I could never hate you Neon. You're my best friend" Neon just froze as she felt some tears herself build up.

"Even though I treated you horribly? E-Even if I ignored you and hated you for what wasn't your fault? Am I still your best friend?" Neon asked as a few tears spilled freely. Flynt however just smiled as he walked over and pulled Neon into his arms.

"Even after all that, you're still my best friend...If I can be your friend again..." Flynt assured her. "Forgive me Neon for abandoning you" with this the floodgates just spilled and Neon clung onto Flynt as tears ran down her face. She called out apologies and asked him to forgive her which Flynt gladly accepted and forgave her.

Ruby and Cinder just stood there watching from the sidelines with the knight smiling victoriously at the renewed friendship.

"This is a little awkward" Cinder whispered.

"Be nice! They're having a moment" the knight scolded her.

Soon the renewed friends broke apart from one another, smiling to Ruby and Cinder appreciatively.

"It's funny. I sought to help a knight find her friend, when in reality she helped me find mine" Flynt chuckled.

"It's no problem, really. I'm just glad to help" the young knight smiled.

"We really appreciate it, and oh you're the dog witch's Little Rose? I can see why she called you that. Real weirdo by the way. Anyways I can see why she was looking for you so much. You're really nice and cute. Your hair looks nice and that's a big sword! You're really small for a knight and I love your skirt!" Ruby stood there confused suddenly as Neon talked a million-words a minute, just confusing the poor girl.

"Um...thanks?" The confused knight looked back to Cinder.

"She was like that with me as well" Cinder assured the girl.

"You're so welcome! But if you guys need anything, really anything, name it and we'll do something about it!" Neon grinned.

"Neon's right. We'll do anything we can to make it up to you" Flynt assured her.

"Really, I'm just glad we could help, even though we honestly didn't do much" Ruby admitted with a chuckle. "We just got lost and you guys volunteered to help" the young knight grinned.

"There is however one thing you could do for us" Ruby looked to the witch, tilting her head. "We're heading for Beacon and are in need of someone to help us with directions and navigation. Do the two of you know someone who could assist us?" the witch questioned with Ruby agreeably nodding her head. The musician and faunus thought for a moment before Neon finally snapped her fingers.

"I totally know a girl! She's tall with red hair, like long and silky smooth and really good at fighting! She lives in the woods and always knows where to go! She's usually super nice, but she's really strong and is probably what you need!" Neon told them with a smile.

"She sounds perfect! What's her name and where can we find her?" Ruby asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos, and she lives in a village in the forest west of here. I believe it's called Greenwood or was it Greentree? Something with green in it" the cat-faunus told her.

Cinder just turned and smiled to the young knight wrapping an arm around her. "Well it seems we have our new destination Little Rose. Thank you for helping us" Cinder said.

"It's appreciated!" Ruby grinned.

"We just wish we could do more to repay you" Flynt admitted with a smile while Neon nodding in agreement.

After more thanks yous and goodbyes the two groups separated and the young knight and witch went to the inn to purchase a room for the night since it was already evening. The next day had arrived and the two were up bright and early and preparing to leave for their next stop in their journey heading for the towns gate.

"Those two were weird" Ruby stated as they approached their small horse and carriage.

"I agree with you completely" the witch chuckled. "At least they helped us to find our next destination."

"Indeed!" the knight grinned.

The two of them had prepared to leave climbing onto the carriage. However, as they did suddenly some of the towns' guards stopped and looked to the witch on board, recognizing her.

"Oy! There she goes!" one of them called out. "That's the fruit thief!" Cinder froze hearing this, and looked to the guards, seeing about five of them charging at them.

"Fruit thief? Cinder what are they-Bwoah!" the amber-eyed witch immediately snapped the reins and made the horse take off down the street. "Cinder what are you doing?!"

"So I may have accidentally stolen an apple and broke a fruit stand while searching for you" the witch admitted.

"You what?! Cinder!" Ruby scolded her.

"I know! I know! I shouldn't have run away but it's too late now!" Cinder called out and looked back, seeing a couple guards still chasing them. Then, she looked ahead, seeing a few more towards the city gates blocking the way.

"Cinder stop!" Ruby called out as Cinder was trying to slow down the horse that didn't slow down.

"I'm trying! Stop girl! Woah!" Cinder called pulling the reins though to no success as the horse continued to speed ahead towards the guards blocking the way.

However suddenly a certain pink-haired cat-faunus jumped towards the guards with a dark skinned musician. Cinder and Ruby watched in awe as the two forced the guards away from the gates and out of the way.

"Sorry but they got places to go!" Flynt grinned pulling his trumpet out and pointing to the guards blasting debilitating sounds their way. As they fell clutching their ears Neon swept in with a pair of wooden nunchaku's knocking them away from the gate.

"Yeah, you guys should get out of their way, but seriously you can't stop us from stopping you, stopping them? You guys are terrible guards!" Neon grinned as she swung her weapon around, blocking other guards from getting in the way.

"How did they know?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I have no idea but we're leaving!" Cinder snapped the reins as they rode past the two troublemakers and past the gate to freedom.

"Thanks again you two!" Flynt called out.

"Tell Pyrrha, Neon said 'Hi!'" the faunus called out. The two of them waving Cinder and Ruby off as they rode away.

"Thanks you guys!" Ruby called out as they left the city behind. "We can never go back there" the knight admitted, sitting down next to Cinder.

"Agreed Little Rose" the witch smiled glancing to Ruby. The two of them stared at each other a moment before bursting into laughter as they rode from the city. "So we're off to Greenwood to find our new navigator then Little Rose?" Ruby nodded with a smile.

"Yup! And Cinder, please don't accidentally steal anymore fruit" Ruby scolded the witch who rolled her eyes and just looked to the young knight. "And...I'll make sure to listen to you and not be distracted" Cinder just smiled as she wrapped an arm around Ruby and pulled her close.

"All is forgiven Ruby. After all, I can't stay mad at my cute Little Rose can I?" the witch teased causing the redhead to blush once more. Ruby however just smiled and leaned against her friend.

"And I forgive you for leaving your Little Rose all by her lonesome" Cinder froze as she was reminded of her folly causing Ruby to smirk. "I can't stay mad at my voluptuous witch friend though, can I?" It was Cinder's turn to blush as she looked down to the little knight with the victorious smirk. She just chuckled and refocused on the road as they continued their journey deciding to let Ruby have her little victory, this time.

 _"I think I won't regret joining you Little Rose..."_ Cinder thought as they rode off into the forest.

As the two of them went farther and farther away from the city however, Ruby's eyes widened in a panic as she realized something very important.

"WE FORGOT MY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!" the knight called out in pure horror, causing the witch to chuckle.

 _"I won't regret it at all..."_

* * *

 **Author's note!**

 **First off... I shall fall to my knees and beg for forgiveness for how long it's been! Despite promises I have failed...but the new chapter is here now and more shall come! And I am finally reunited with my editing team, Lauren!**

 _ **I still haven't gotten a raise though...**_

 **We're working on that one...Anywho onto the Reviews!  
**

 **A Simple cup: The uncomfortableness...if that's a word will probably disappear with time and their relationship will indeed blossom! And I have seen some of Arieko's work and am/was a fan until they stopped. We're glad you enjoyed the story so far and how we portrayed Cinder!**

 _ **(Uncomfortableness is actually not a word) Shazzellim: Yes actually! In fact, if you have noticed the icon from our story, it's actual custom-made artwork we requested from them specifically!**_

 **shado5000: Hopefully this chapter shall provide even more laughs and entertainment and we're glad you liked it and look forward to doing more!  
**

 _ **ILikeHotDogs: Thank you so much for your commitment...but uh...sleep is a thing...you should cherish it...maybe next time we'll give you a heads up before posting so you can schedule out a block of time just for this!**_

 **First Guest: Yes we did and we are very proud of our references and very proud that you caught that!  
**

 _ **FirstoftheAbyss: I have actually pointed out the flaws of his writing or more the abrupt killing of his writing...it's been a pleasant shouting match but he's promised to actually finally FINISH AT LEAST ONE FREAKING THING THAT HE'S STARTED! Yet another reason I'm now in the mix...to shout at him...**_

 **THB4: Yeah tried to go for a more light hearted Fallen Petals story and for literally all of the questions you asked...you must wait to read and find out now won't you? Also no love spell was cast on Ruby xD  
**

 _ **revivetheliving: Not to worry! References will continue, though I will say it'd be boring to only reference one thing over and over. I prefer that we embrace as many sporadic and out there references as possible to keep everyone on their toes and keep them guessing. We have to have fun somehow obviously...**_

 **A Simple Cup ((Continued)): I thank you for the advice and will take it to heart. After all the second chapter is finally here!  
**

 _ **Lord Bedhead: I think you should continue posting that review...over and over...until it gets through...may my hinting not be in vain! Though I should say he did give me a somewhat raise...a ring to rule them all! Or just over his life...forever mwahahaha**_

 **To the multiple other reviewers we are glad you enjoyed the story and are glad you are looking forward to more! I also thank each and every one of you for the wishes to stay safe which I did and I am home in the USA once more.  
**

 **We thank you all for the support so far and hope to provide more sooner rather than later!**

 _ **Suurrreeeee...they'll believe it when they see it...**_

 **To be continued!**


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